Dictionary.com
definitions

Ursa Major

[ur-suh mey-jer]

noun, genitive Ur·sae Ma·jor·is [ur-see muh-jawr-is, -johr-] /ˈɜr si məˈdʒɔr ɪs, -ˈdʒoʊr-/. Astronomy.

the Great Bear, the most prominent northern constellation, containing the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.

RELATED CONTENT

Super 6: The Major Punctuation Marks
You’ve definitely seen them around, but do you know how they’re supposed to be used? The major punctuation marks are the period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, semicolon, and colon. These marks organize sentences and give them structure. The Period A period (.) ends a sentence. It comes immediately after the last letter of a sentence, and there only needs to be one space between …
READ MORE
Learn what bar code numbers mean in the wake of major cereal recall
On Friday, Kellogg’s recalled about 28 million boxes of cereal because consumers reported a unusual smell coming from the packaging that could potentially make people ill. In order to help identify the specific products involved, Kellogg’s referred the public to the universal product code (UPC).  That’s the official name for the pattern of black lines on the side of almost everything you can possibly purchase. Simply put, …
READ MORE

Origin of Ursa Major

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major

noun Latin genitive Ursae Majoris (ˈɜːsiː məˈdʒɔːrɪs)

an extensive conspicuous constellation in the N hemisphere, visible north of latitude 40°. The seven brightest stars form the Plough. A line through the two brightest stars points to the Pole Star lying in Ursa MinorAlso called: the Great Bear, the Bear

Word Origin for Ursa Major

Latin: greater bear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major

[ûr′sə]

A constellation in the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere near Draco and Leo. Ursa Major (the Great Bear) contains the seven stars that form the Big Dipper.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for ursa major

Ursa Major

[(ur-suh)]

A constellation; the Great Bear. (See Big Dipper.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.